Search

The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) control has great potential in the applications of hypersonic vehicles. Typically, the MHD flowfield in these applications is low magnetic Reynolds (Rem ) compressible...

OBJECTIVE: To establish a deep learning algorithm that can accurately determine three-dimensional facial anatomical landmarks, multi-view stacked hourglass convolutional neural networks (MSH-CNN) and to construct three-dimensional facial midsagittal plane automatically based on MSH-CNN and weighted Procrustes analysis algorithm. METHODS: One hundred subjects with no obvious facial deformity were collected in our oral clinic. Three-dimensional facial data were scanned by three-dimensional facial scanner. Experts annotated twenty-one facial landmarks and midsagittal plane of each data. Eighty three-dimensional facial data were used as training set, to train the MSH-CNN in this study. The overview of MSH-CNN network architecture contained multi-view rendering and training the MSH-CNN network. The three-dimensional facial data were rendered from ninety-six views that were fed to MSH-CNN and the output was one heatmap per landmark. The result of the twenty-one landmarks was accurately placed on the three-dimensional facial data after a three-dimensional view ray voting process. The remaining twenty three-dimensional facial data were used as test set. The trained MSH-CNN automatically determined twenty-one three-dimensional facial anatomical landmarks of each case of data, and calculated the distance between each MSH-CNN landmark and the expert landmark, which was defined as position error. The midsagittal plane of the twenty subjects' could be automatically constructed, using the MSH-CNN and Procrustes analysis algorithm. To evaluate the effect of midsagittal plane by automatic method, the angle between the midsagittal plane constructed by the automatic method and the expert annotated plane was calculated, which was defined as angle error. RESULTS: For twenty subjects with no obvious facial deformity, the average angle error of the midsagittal plane constructed by MSH-CNN and weighted Procrustes analysis algorithm was 0.73°±0.50°, in which the average position error of the twenty-one facial landmarks automatically determined by MSH-CNN was (1.13±0.24) mm, the maximum position error of the orbital area was (1.31±0.54) mm, and the minimum position error of the nasal area was (0.79±0.36) mm. CONCLUSION: This research combines deep learning algorithms and Procrustes analysis algorithms to realize the fully automated construction of the three-dimensional midsagittal plane, which initially achieves the construction effect of clinical experts. The obtained results constituted the basis for the independent intellectual property software development.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IDD) is a well-known consequence of low back pain, as characterized by aberrant cell proliferation and apoptosis of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 6 (SNHG6) on deregulated functions of degenerative NP cells.After the establishment of rat IDD models, the mRNA and protein levels of collagen-I (Col-I) and collagen II (Col-II), and mRNA level of SNHG6 were detected by using reverse transcription quantitative Real Time-PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blot. We further investigated the role and molecular mechanisms of SNHG6 by overexpressing or silencing it in degenerative NP cells. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay and EdU staning, and apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. The target of SNHG6 was identified by starBase and Dual-Luciferase reporter assay.Upregulation of SNHG6 was found in IDD NP cells than in normal cells, associated with higher level of Col-I and lower level of Col-II. Overexpression of SNHG6 inhibited cell proliferation and enhanced apoptosis, accompanied by increased expression of Bax, caspase-3, and p21, as well as decreased expression of Bcl-2, which was in reverse to the treatment of SNHG6 silencing. Moreover, miR-101-3p was indicated as a target of SNHG6, and inhibition of miR-101-3p reversed the effects on proliferation and apoptosis induced by SNHG6.SNHG6 suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis by increasing expression of Bax, caspase-3, p21 and decreasing Bcl-2 through targeting miR-101-3p, which suggested that SNHG6 could be a potential target in the treatment of IDD.

The presence of intermuscular bones in fisheries products limits the consumption and commercialization potential of many fish species, including tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum). These bones have caused medical emergencies and are an undesirable characteristic for fish farming because their removal is labor-intensive during fish processing. Despite the difficulty in identifying genes related to the lack of intermuscular bone in diverse species of fish, the discovery of individuals lacking intermuscular bones in a Neotropical freshwater characiform fish has provided a unique opportunity to delve into the genetic mechanisms underlying the pathways of intermuscular bone formation. In this study, we carried out a GWAS among boneless and wt tambaqui populations to identify markers associated with a lack of intermuscular bone. After analyzing 11 416 SNPs in 360 individuals (12 boneless and 348 bony), we report 675 significant (Padj

Chancre self-healing is an important clinical feature in the early stages of syphilis infection. Wound healing may involve an important mechanism by the migration of fibroblasts filling the injured lesion. However, the specific mechanism underlying this process is still unknown.We aimed to analyse the role of Tp0136 in the migration of fibroblasts and the related mechanism.The migration ability of fibroblasts was detected by a wound-healing assay. RT-PCR and ELISA detected the expression of MCP-1, IL-6 and MMP-9. TLR4 expression was detected by RT-PCR. The protein levels of CCR2 and relevant signalling pathway molecules were measured by Western blotting.Tp0136 significantly promoted fibroblast migration. Subsequently, the levels of MCP-1 and its receptor CCR2 were increased in this process. The migration of fibroblasts was significantly inhibited by an anti-MCP-1 neutralizing antibody or CCR2 inhibitors. Furthermore, studies demonstrated that Tp0136 could activate the ERK/JNK/PI3K/NF-κB signalling pathways through TLR4 activity and that signalling pathways inhibitors could weaken MCP-1 secretion and fibroblast migration.These findings demonstrate that Tp0136 promotes the migration of fibroblasts by inducing MCP-1/CCR2 expression through signalling involving the TLR4, ERK, JNK, PI3K and NF-κB signalling pathways, which could contribute to the mechanism of chancre self-healing in syphilis.

Sex-specific DNA markers are useful for studying sex- determination mechanisms and establishment of monosex populations. Three widely spaced geographical populations (Liangzi, Poyang and Yuni Lakes in China) of blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) were screened with AFLPs to search for sex-linked markers. Female and male pools (10 individuals in each pool) from each population were screened using 64 different primer combinations. A total of 4789 genomic fragments were produced, with a mean frequency of 75 bands per primer pair. Three different primer combinations produced putative sex-associated amplifications and were selected for individual screening in the three populations. However, none showed sex specificity when we converted these three markers into sequence characterized amplified region markers and evaluated all the individuals from the three populations.

Summary The objective of this study was to compare haematological and serum biochemical parameters of cultured and wild specimens of the northern snakehead, Channa argus, to establish baseline values. Thirty sexually immature and disease-free wild fish (37.70 ± 13.68 cm total length, 555.3 ± 449.0 g weight) and 30 cultured fish (36.82 ± 1.72 cm total length, 450.5 ± 58.8 g weight) were examined. In cultured northern snakehead, the average values of alanine aminotransferases (370.1 IU L−1), aspartate amino transferases (1145.3 IU L−1), albumin (15.84 g L−1), direct billuribin (6.15 μmol L−1), urea (1.40 mmol L−1), glucose (21.54 mmol L−1) and cholesterol levels (6.60 mmol L−1) were significantly higher (P 0.05) was found for total protein, globulin, total bilirubin, chromium, sodium, chloride or triglyceride levels between wild and cultured populations. The mean values of the red blood cell (RBC) counts, hematocrit, haemoglobin, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were significantly higher (P

Hu, H.‐F., Gao, Z.‐X., Cheng, Y.‐Y. Inhibition of CYP3A mRNA and protein expression, and enzymatic activity, by enrofloxacin in chickens. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. doi: 10.1111/j.1365‐2885.2010.01175.x. This study was to investigate the effect of enrofloxacin (EF) on CYP3A in chicken by using quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction and immunodetected. The treated chickens were given 5, 25 and 125 mg/kg of EF while the control chickens were treated with the same volume saline. There was no significant difference between the low dose group and controls in the concentration of hepatic microsome protein and total CYP content, while the middle and high dose EF caused the down regulation. Depression of the CYP3A activity, mRNA and protein were observed in treated chickens, and the inhibition degree was different from each group. It was concluded that EF caused the inhibition of CYP3A both in genetic transcription and protein levels. But the inhibition metabolism still needs further researches.

Summary In search for an easy, rapid and cost-effective method to determine the ploidy levels of diploid and tetraploid dojo loaches Misgurnus anguillicaudatus distributed naturally in China, direct (karyotyping) and indirect (flow cytometry, erythrocyte nuclear measurements and morphometric analysis) methods were compared. The results revealed that all techniques employed may be successfully used to determine the ploidy levels. It was discovered that karyotyping is cumbersome; flow cytometry is expensive whereas erythrocyte nuclear measurement requires a long time and intensive labour. On the other hand, the morphometric analysis method, especially the measurement of head length (HL), snout length (SL) and depth of caudal peduncle (CPD), is the simplest, with no damage to the fish and can be considered a practical alternative to other techniques. The discriminant function developed from the specimens, D = 7.539(HL/CPD)−2.342(HL/SL)−5.636, categorized an observation as a diploid if the discriminant analysis gave a positive score, while negative scores were categorized as tetraploids.

A new unsymmetrical solid Schiff base (LLi) was synthesized using L-lysine, o-vanillin and 2-hydroxy-l-naphthaldehyde. Solid lanthanum(III) complex of this ligand [LaL(NO3)]NO3·2H2O have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, IR, UV and molar conductance. The thermal decomposition kinetics of the complex for the second stage was studied under non-isothermal condition by TG and DTG methods. The kinetic equation may be expressed as: dα/dt=Ae−E/RT(1−α)2. The kinetic parameters (E, A), activation entropy ΔS# and activation free-energy ΔG# were also gained.

To explore the role of Δ133p53 in the effect of recombinant mutant human Tumor Necrosis Factor (rmhTNF) on two gastric cancer cell lines.MKN45 (with Δ133p53 expression) or SGC7901 (without Δ133p53 expression) cells were treated with rmhTNF of different concentrations only or combined with fluorouracil (5-FU), and the growth inhibition rate was detected by a cell counting kit, and apoptosis by flow cytometry. The mRNA of Δ133p53, p53, Gadd45α, MDM2, PTEN and Bax was measured by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) or Nested PCR (nPCR).On Δ133p53-positive MKN-45 cells, the effect of rmhTNF was significant in growth inhibition test (t = -9.558, p0.01); also, the effect of 5-FU was improved by rmhTNF with remarkable time- and dose-effect (F = 82.742, p0.01; F = 128.583, p0.01). However, on Δ133p53-negative SGC-7901 cells, no growth inhibition was showed by rmhTNF only (t = -0.121, p0.05). In apoptosis test, the effect of rmhTNF was significant on MKN45 cells, and the effect of 5-FU was improved significantly by rmhTNF (F = 123.931, p0.05). In mRNA measurement, rmhTNF-induced up-regulation of p53 accompanied with down-regulation of Δ133p53, which correlated significantly to the change of p53 downstream molecules, including MDM2, PTEN, Gadd45α, and Bax.The results in these experiments suggested that Δ133p53 play a pivotal role in rmhTNF-induced survival of p53 functions in Δ133p53-positive MKN-45 cells.

Sex-specific DNA markers are useful for studying sex-determination mechanisms and establishment of monosex populations. Three widely spaced geographical populations (Liangzi, Poyang and Yuni Lakes in China) of blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) were screened with AFLPs to search for sex-linked markers. Female and male pools (10 individuals in each pool) from each population were screened using 64 different primer combinations. A total of 4789 genomic fragments were produced, with a mean frequency of 75 bands per primer pair. Three different primer combinations produced putative sex-associated amplifications and were selected for individual screening in the three populations. However, none showed sex specificity when we converted these three markers into sequence characterized amplified region markers and evaluated all the individuals from the three populations.

The Asiatic topmouth gudgeon, Pseudorasbora parva, is recognized as one of the most invasive fish species in many countries outside of Asia. We isolated and characterized 19 microsatellite loci from P. parva. The polymorphism of these 19 loci was tested on 40 individuals of P. parva sampled from a wild population located in Ezhou, Hubei province of China. The loci had 5 to 11 alleles, with a mean of 7.7 at each locus; 11 loci conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.237 to 0.973 and from 0.647 to 0.914, respectively. All microsatellite loci were in linkage equilibrium. These microsatellite markers are potentially useful for the assessment of population genetic structure during invasion and dispersal of P. parva in new habitats.

The authors report on magnetoresistivity rho ab( theta ,H,T) measurements below Tc in YBa2Cu3Oxn films with differing oxygen content x. The observed variations in the angular and field dependence of rho ab with reduced x indicate a gradual dimensional crossover from an anisotropic 3D to a quasi-2D behaviour. The increasing anisotropy is related to a decrease of the coupling between the Cu2O2 bilayers when oxygen is removed from the Cu1Ox chain-planes.

[1] To evaluate the response of river discharge to anthropogenic impacts and climate variability over the Industrial Period, we reconstructed past series of monthly discharge from three gauges on the main river of the Yangtze by means of regression (making use of the cross correlation among the gauges) and analyzed the integrated data (the observed series of discharge with missing values filled by reconstructed values) for the period 1865–2008 in relation to human activities and climate variability. The correlative coefficients between observed and predicted discharges at the three stations for the gauging period are R2 = 0.90–0.96 (n = 827–1557). The integrated time series of discharge to the sea shows periodicities of ∼7, ∼14, and ∼38 years, and we found significant decreasing trends in annual discharge (−11%) and monthly discharge from August to November (−47% for November) and an increasing trend in discharge in January (+30%) and February during the dry season. These trends are mainly attributed to human impacts, in particular, reservoir construction and water consumption. It is estimated that these trends will continue in the future decades of this century because of the influence of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project as well as increased water consumption and the construction of new dams within the river basin.

We have measured the in‐plane (ab plane) critical current density Jc in sputtered, c‐axis oriented YBa2Cu3Ox films as a function of the oxygen content x. The important reduction of Jc with decreasing x can be explained in terms of a ‘‘brick wall’’ microstructure, where the critical current density is dominated by the coupling strength (along the c axis) between the superconducting CuO2 planes. Scanning tunneling microscopy images of the film surfaces are consistent with the presence of the brick wall structure, which apparently results from the overlap between terraces belonging to adjacent spiral‐shaped islands.

The current density in a disk-shaped superconducting bulk magnet and the magnetic levitation force exerted on the superconducting bulk magnet by a cylindrical permanent magnet are calculated from first principles. The effect of the superconducting parameters of the superconducting bulk is taken into account by assuming the voltage-current law and the material law. The magnetic levitation force is dominated by the remnant current density, which is induced by switching off the applied magnetizing field. High critical current density and flux creep exponent may increase the magnetic levitation force. Large volume and high aspect ratio of the superconducting bulk can enhance the magnetic levitation force further., 18 pages and 8 figures

Combustion of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) can cause indoor air pollution with sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, total suspended particulate (TSP) and total hydrocarbons. Mice exposed to the pollutant air for three months showed lower ANAE, prolonged sleep time, increased PCE micronucleus in bone marrow, high positivity in Ames test for the lung homogenate and deformity of sperm in males, with obvious dose-response relationship. Investigation on a human population exposed to LPG for more than five years revealed irritating symptoms in respiratory tract, nose and eyes, and prevalence of pharyngitis, rhinitis and conjunctivitis increased significantly. Positive Ames test and micronucleus test in peripheral erythrocytes were detected in concentrated urine samples collected from them. It is postulated this may be associated with the mutagenic pollutants contained in the waste gas emitted by combustion of LPG.

In this study, HBsAg, HBcAg and HBV DNA in myeloid cells of 57 patients with hepatitis have been examined by using ABC staining method. The results show that in the myeloid cells of 54 patients with positive HBVM in serum, there are 4 cases with HBV positive antigen, HBcAg has been found in a case of acute hepatitis and HBsAg in a case of chronic hepatitis and a case of liver cirrhosis respectively, HBsAg and HBcAg were found simultaneously in another case of liver cirrhosis. Nothing has been found the myeloid cells of 3 cases with negative HBVM in serum. All these findings suggest that myeloid cells are probably another breeding ground for duplicating HBV.

The concept and taxonomy of periodic psychosis still remains in controversy for the past 100 years. In China, it was first reported by Ji, and thereafter various rinds of terminology and views were given by different authors. In the presentation, clinical investigation and follow up were carried out in 62 cases. In many of these cases, the so-called "periodic psychosis" or "phasophrenia" was early clinical features of schizophrenia or manic-depression. In those cases with apparent symptoms and signs of diencephalic function, differential diagnosis should be carried out from organic brain syndrome. In a small number of cases, their clinical manifestations, conforming to previous diagnostic criteria, might be an uncommon syndrome. It was concluded by the authors that until now periodic could be considered only as a clinical syndrome rather than a disease entity.